A Logansport woman who admitted to stealing and selling prescription pills from the pharmacy where she worked was sentenced Thursday to 60 days in jail and 22 months of home detention.
Cass Circuit Judge Leo Burns handed handed the sentence to Heidi Mae Anderson in an emotional hearing Thursday afternoon. He ordered her to spend two additional years on probation and to complete 500 hours of community service.
The 30-year-old Anderson pleaded guilty last month to dealing in a schedule IV controlled sentence. At that hearing, she confessed to stealing about 30 generic Xanax pills from the CVS Pharmacy on East Market Street, where she worked.
Anderson, who had been a pharmacy technician for about 18 months, was arrested in June 2006 by the Cass County Drug Task Force, which set up a controlled drug buy, according to court records. She reportedly sold the pills to a confidential informant for $120 in the parking lot of a local gas station.
According to the police report, undercover officers stopped Anderson at Seventh and North streets. The buy money, which had been photo copied by police, was reportedly found in Anderson’s pocket.
In court in last month, Anderson rejected a plea deal from prosecutors and entered an open plea, meaning no sentencing details had been worked out between the defense and prosecution. The terms of the punishment were left up to Burns.
At the hearing Thursday, Anderson said she accepted complete responsibility for the crime.
“It was a stupid thing I did,” said Anderson, who had to stop her testimony several times to get her emotions under control. “I’m severely sorry that I did this, and I will accept whatever judgment comes.”
Anderson’s mother, who said she was “disappointed and down-trodden but also proud” of her daughter, said the case had caused great stress to Anderson and her two children, who are 6 and 11.
In his closing argument, Anderson’s private attorney, Brad Rozzi, painted her as a single mother with no criminal history who had already suffered enough.
“A C felony at her young age is significant punishment,” Rozzi said. “Sticking her in jail is gonna do nothing at this point.”
A report prepared last week by Cass County Probation Officer Judy Oldham said Anderson had good character and was likely to respond to non-prison sentencing.
But deputy prosecutor James Ackermann questioned whether Anderson had truly learned from the incident.
“Is she sorry she did it, or is she sorry she got caught?” Ackermann asked in his closing argument. “This was a complete, utter betrayal of trust. She was entrusted with controlled substances and she stole them.”
Ackerman, who is the lead county drug prosecutor, also read parts of a letter from CVS managers, which said “the actions of Ms. Anderson have tainted the profession of pharmacy techs.” Anderson was ordered to stay away from the pharmacy last August after reportedly entering the store and speaking to employees about the charges against her.
The deputy prosecutor recommended that Anderson serve six years in prison, complete 1,000 hours of community service and write an apology letter to CVS.
But Burns instead chose to order four years, the standard sentence for a class C felony. He ordered Anderson taken to the Cass County jail immediately after the hearing.
“You’re going to jail for 60 days,” he said. “You’re losing your liberty. To be in the position you were and to lose it all for $120 is going to be on your mind for the rest of your life.”
Brian Rosenthal can be reached at (574) 732-5148, or via e-mail at brian.rosenthal@pharostribune.com
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Former pharmacy technician gets 60-day jail sentence
<b>Logansport woman pleaded guilty to sale of stolen pills</b>
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